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Rhetoric not matching reality is a severe problem in many areas in Texas. On April 17th, 2013 a fertilizer plant exploded in the town of West, Texas. Hours after the devastating explosion, a report from MSNBC showed Texas Governor Rick Perry begging for federal assistance.

It is common knowledge that Perry is anti-government regulation. The plant that exploded was poorly regulated. Perry claims to hate government handouts so much so that he refuses to accept the Medicaid expansion of Obamacare in a state where over 25% of its citizens have no healthcare insurance. Yet, he wants a federal government bailout for the explosion in West Texas.

The Huffington Post reports that FEMA may have wised up.

Quote:

HOUSTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency is refusing to provide additional money to help rebuild the small Texas town where a deadly fertilizer plant explosion leveled numerous homes and a school, and killed 15 people.

According to a letter obtained by The Associated Press, FEMA said it reviewed the state’s appeal to help but decided that the explosion “is not of the severity and magnitude that warrants a major disaster declaration.”

FEMA already has provided millions of dollars in aid to the town of West and its residents, but the decision prevents them from getting some of the widespread assistance typically available to victims of tornadoes, hurricanes and other natural disasters. ….

But Muska said the rural community of 2,800 people cannot cover the costs of the repairs, and doesn’t believe that the state will provide enough money on its own. He estimated the cost of those repairs at about $57 million, including $40 million to rebuild schools that were destroyed or damaged when the West Fertilizer Co. blew up in April.

“We don’t have the money to go out and borrow the money. We don’t have the means to pay that note back,” Muska said. “There’s got to be some public assistance.”

The letter, dated June 10, is addressed to Texas Gov. Rick Perry and signed by FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.

Perry noted in a statement that Obama attended a memorial service in April for the victims of the West blast and “stood in front of a grieving community and told them they would not be forgotten.”

“He said his administration would stand with them, ready to help,” Perry said. “We anticipate the president will hold true to his word and help us work with FEMA to ensure much-needed assistance reaches the community of West.”

One must ask a question that few are asking. Why should the federal government and taxpayers be liable for the explosion of a private plant? Should not that plant be liable for rebuilding the damage caused from the company storing that quantity of explosive chemicals in an unsafe manner? This is a classic case of privatization of profits and socialization of losses/expenses. Perry fighting for a government handout for a private company explosion while refusing government subsidies to provide healthcare to the poor in his state is the height of immorality.

Texas Governor Rick Perry is more than a hypocrite. He is dangerous. While he claims to hate regulation, he systematically passes laws/regulations that infringe on women’s rights but refuses regulations to equalize their pay. He refuses government money that would go to the poor and needy even as he provides billions in incentives for business. He has become a conduit to move middle class taxes to the powerful.

I don't see why Perry wants a handout - I thought that he took pride in his state not relying on the Government.

If he wants funds to cover the expenses of poor regulations, perhaps he should go after the company that caused this mess? And perhaps he should undertake actions to prevent accidents like this from happening in the future?

Because, like most politicians, he relies heavily on public opinion, especially when categorically denying that their decisions are based on public opinion polls. Politicians are in a way like turtles, except what gets pulled into their shell isn't their appendages, it's their true nature.

This particular politician is only to ready to stick his hand in the cookie jar when it suits him, and admonishes others for doing the same. It's a typical 'do as I say, not as I do' scenario.

Partly because lately Republicans have had a mindset of something isn't reality, isn't true, doesn't work, or isn't good unless it affects them directly or so in some way.

And partly, and less cynically, because for reasons I don't fully understand the state always ends up paying in the end. We had a propane plant explosion here a couple of years ago. The city and state forked up the money for cleanup. Which, I guess makes sense. If your house or building (in a work situation) catches fire out of your stupidity or neglect, the fire department doesn't charge you for putting it out. So, if the government has the equipment and staff, then I guess that's how it goes.

In our case, the government is hoping to sue them for just under the cost of cleanup (why? Why not a greater amount? Why undercut?) and the community that sustained damages is suing for hundreds of millions. But still.. it's all after the fact and tentative and based on the outcome of drawn-out legal battles. That's not how it should be.

And in our cases it was a left-leaning mayor and provincial government in power at the time. So, not really the right trying to bail out corporate asses as you seem to be alluding.

Hopefully the private company will later repay the government for the cost of the damages... there really should be some level of oversight, too little is going to result in issues as well as too much. imo there needs to be a medium.

Also second quote article sounds awfully bias to me...is this an opinion article? As news organization imo should stick to saying the news as it is, and allow us to make of it what we will of the politicians who are making and signing the policies, be it leftist or rightist leaning media.

This is also the same guy who ran those radio ads slamming states like Illinois and telling businesses to come to Texas. Because that's not sectarian or divisive at all. At least he's not going to be re-elected.

"The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all." - H. L. Mencken, unsourced

"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'"- Isaac Asimov, Column in Newsweek (21 January 1980) [source]

If Bush Jr. or Obama haven't been thrown out of office I'm not surprised to see the loathable piece of horse**** that is Perry still being in power though to be fair he is a pretty good comedian when shown making this ad that made me laugh for hours on end.

Oh yeah and let's not forget Texas wanting to ban oral and anal sex too along with what has been going on with the Justin Carter debacle as well, stay classy Texas lol.

Did anyone say he shouldn't get it? Accusing someone of being a hypocrite is not the same as saying they shouldn't get their highly ironic request fulfilled. However, he should have to make a public apology and shut up about the subject in the future as a precondition.

"The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all." - H. L. Mencken, unsourced

"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'"- Isaac Asimov, Column in Newsweek (21 January 1980) [source]

Did anyone say he shouldn't get it? Accusing someone of being a hypocrite is not the same as saying they shouldn't get their highly ironic request fulfilled. However, he should have to make a public apology and shut up about the subject in the future as a precondition.

In fact, I think the state of Texas should have a legal order to have him stop embarrassing the state and having their PR plummet. The things I hear him say are terrifyingly stupid. Terrifying because he's in so much power but he's so stupid…I'm sorry for being so blunt but there's no way one person could be so blatantly hypocritical more than once and have any sense of intelligence.

See, this means that if someone from another group of humans who don't agree with you have problems, you ignore them (preferably with a middle finger and a slap in the face or two thrown in for good measure) and call every one of your banal problems "a national tragedy", even if it could have been avoided by a drunken alcoholic monkey with half a brain and Asperger's and untreated dyslexia. Did I also mention the monkey is dead and nobody has noticed yet?

Even it Hurricane Sandy was a natural disaster, it doesn't mean anyone should feel comfortable denying aid to all of the people who suffered from it. We're all human beings and we should help one another when disaster strikes, natural or not. The fact that these politicians found it to be a waste of money is despicable. Human beings are never a waste of money, unless you're a rich man in Congress who is so detached from his voter base that he suffers from extreme egocentricity.

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